Hey Everyone,
Today was a good day of work and service.
We were able to finish mudding the Open Arms house before lunch which is a huge accomplishment. There are just a few things left to do before the family can move in! Thank you to everyone who worked on this project.
We continued pouring concrete at Vicky’s School. We got off to a very slow start this morning as we were missing some needed tools and then our cement mixer broke. Yet, we were almost able to complete pouring the second layer of the wall. We were also able to clear a bigger path for cars and trucks to be able to access the property now that it is more enclosed. The students worked really hard and were committed to seeing this through this week.
Casa De Luz finished the jobs they were hoping to finish this week. It was great seeing the student take on different projects and challenges.
Today we also took another trip to the Canyon to serve lunch and sort clothes at the immigrant hostel. While there another 50 people showed up (many children) who had just been deported. They said that they hadn’t eaten for three days. Tired, hungry, with little possessions, we were able to feed them hamburgers, and provide some of the clothing that was donated. They will be able to sleep well tonight in a good safe place.
This has been a great week with amazing students. They have made new friends and strengthened old friendships. They have worked well together, laughed together and even cried together. They have had new experiences and have engaged them all. You have some really great sons and daughters and you would have been proud of them this week. They gave a lot and received a lot.
We hope this has been a great week for your student and that they have grown in who they are as well as their perspective on faith and life.
Re-entry for students can range from like nothing happened to be overwhelmed. Students have been without their cell phones for a week and many have expressed how nice that is to not have cell phones as it has relieved them of a lot of stress and pressure. They have been able to meet more people, play card games, and learn new card tricks. Community time has been great.
Some students will talk your ear off until 3 am in the morning others will need a little time to adjust to life back at home. They have all seen a level of poverty that is hard to comprehend through our time at the old Tijuana dump and time at a church housing refugees. But it has all been good.
My hope is that they will process this trip with you. Therefore, below are some questions you can ask your students about the week:
- What was it like crossing the border the first time?
- What was the Mexico side of the border wall like when you visited it on Sunday?
- What was different about Mexico than at home? What was the same?
- What worksite(s) were you on this week?
- What was the story of the people you were helping?
- What was the Canyon (old Tijuana dump) like?
- What did you do at the Canyon?
- What was the best part of the week?
- What was the hardest part of the week?
- Who did you meet this week?
- What did you learn about yourself?
It has been a joy spending a week with your student. We believe in each one of them and hope we have been a positive voice in their life this week reinforcing the values and qualities you want to see in your sons and daughters. Thank you for entrusting them to us for this week.
Lastly, we are having a reunion/fundraiser on August 24th at Marin Covenant Church, the same place we had our pre-trip parent and student meetings. It is our 10 year anniversary and we would love to have you celebrate with us! You and your students are invited. All you need to do is text us for tickets. For the phone # put “51555” in the body of the message text “B2LTix” This will take you to a place to purchase tickets. If you want to know more you can go to our website.
Tomorrow we plan to pull out of the orphanage by 8:30 am. If all goes well we hope to be back on US soil by 12 or 12:30 pm. The border wait could be anywhere between 30 min and 4 hours. We are hoping for a shorter time. We will text you when we cross.
Please monitor the flight status
